Since 1995, cases of acute neurological diseases have been reported in Muzaffarpur, the largest fruit-growing region in the country between May and July. They peaked in June, coinciding with a full month’s harvest.
Between May and July 2014, 390 patients with symptoms of the disease were sent to two hospitals in the area. Of these, 122 were killed.
In a study published in the medical journal The Lancet, the researchers said the humble fruit is likely to cause seizures in children and sometimes death. Previous studies have attributed the disease to viral or heat stroke.
Although the epidemic has been reported for nearly 20 years until 2014, unexplained causes of the disease have not been thoroughly investigated, the researchers said.
The team from the US Centers for Disease Control, the National Center for Disease Control, India and other Indian health officials conducted blood and urine tests and tested lychee’s pesticides, pathogens and toxic metals. They also tested the natural toxins of fruits.
They excluded the cause of pesticide, drug, or metal exposure, but did find that 45 to 64 percent of the tested patients had traces of naturally occurring toxins from lychee in their urine.
Parents say between May and June that young children often spend one day eating lychee for dinner in the surrounding orchard. They found that children who skip dinner were more likely to fall ill.
The study authors recommend minimizing the consumption of young children’s litchi, ensuring that they have dinner during the outbreak season.
